Kuyperian Commentary

On May 29, 2024 By Adam McIntosh In Culture, Politics, Sexuality 3

Praying against sexual sin every day in June

In light of the upcoming “Pride Month,” heralded by the LGBTQ community, the elders at my church have decided to pray against sexual sin every day in June. We are inviting our members to do the same, and we invite you to join us as well.

There’s been a lot of discussion recently among Christians on how to transform culture and governmental institutions. Some Christians are advocating a form of nationalism that sounds too close to fascism for comfort. Similar types are waging “meme-warfare” with white-pride-evangelism, as if that’s how you Christianize the world. It’s also an election year, wherein some Christians start acting like progressive leftists: “Get out the vote! It’s your moral duty!” And apparently: “Smash the Constitution!” (Lord, deliver us from Twitter.)

But what are the primary tools God has given his church? Worship and prayer. Regardless of your political stance and whether you vote or not, it is worship and prayer that transform the world. Not every Christian can vote, not every Christian can be a political activist. But every Christian can pray. We confess our sins to King Jesus and intercede on behalf of the world. This is our priestly service. Critics will call it retreatism, but this is how we wage war against evil. We fight by faith, not by sight.

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On May 29, 2024 By Uri Brito In Culture Like

The End of Travel Sports

There are about three topics that roll through my layers of brainwork in just about everything I do. And if you threaten me with a light-saber, it probably boils down to the Church in all its facets and formation. Like a repetitive Levitical drum, I re-acquaint everyone with my assertions on travel sports on the Lord’s Day.

I have written and re-posted this little essay probably five or six times, and I have seen many conversions and perhaps the greatest amount of fury I think I have ever experienced from anything I’ve written.

This means that I have hit something powerful in the evangelical ethos: “the right to do as I please on Sunday mornings” and “the right to devotionalize my children as I deem best on the Lord’s Day.” So, since I find these reactions absurd, I want to re-post with some edits and kindly ask your shares to spread the good news of ending weekend travel sports once and for all.

Time to stir things up a bit with some good ol’ fashioned biblical fundamentals. Not fundamentalism, but just fundamentals; the kind of thing every Christian should do but doesn’t because of convenience or some other sanctified rhetoric.

I have written about this before, but since I received two or three witnesses’ worth of negative responses, I wanted to try again to see if I received more this time. So, with my motivations out in the open, here it is!

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On May 27, 2024 By Bill Smith In Church, Culture, Discipleship, Wisdom 1

Just Ordinary

We have entered what is, quite frankly, one of my favorite seasons of the Church Year: Ordinary Time. The season is not principally named “ordinary” because nothing “extraordinary” happens during the season. Rather, “Ordinary” comes from numbering the Sundays between the Day of Pentecost and Advent. Ordinal numbers are used to number the Sundays: First, Second, Third, etc. However, there is a delicious linguistic twist for paronomasiacs (punsters). Ordinary Time happens to be, well, quite ordinary. The church uses green as the liturgical color to mark off the season that lasts around six months. This is a time of steady growth after the waters of baptism have fallen on us at Pentecost. There are no real big parties for these several months, only the steady grace of the day-in-day-out regularity and, in many ways, imperceptible growth.

If you think about it, most of history is like this. We read about epic events in Scripture and other histories outside of Scripture, but while all that is going on, most of the world is plugging on day after day living ordinary lives. This is reflected well in the Church Calendar.

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On May 23, 2024 By Bill Smith In Theology Like

The Circumcision of Christ

Circumcision is not a subject usually talked about in polite conversation. It can be a bit awkward as you are reading aloud through the Scriptures with your young children, and circumcision is the focus of the text. The discussion of circumcision makes something that is private and shameful (that is, exposing nakedness) public. Paul’s cryptic phrase in Philippians 3:18, “whose glory is their shame,” may be referring to the Jews bragging about their circumcision. Exposing your private parts before all is shameful.

Nevertheless, circumcision plays a significant role in the redemption of the world and is a prominent theme in Scripture.

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On May 22, 2024 By Uri Brito In Culture 3

The Needed Call for Masculine Stability

I recently made a point about our tendency towards overreaction. This is especially true among young fathers, whom I have seen accumulate numerous theological perspectives and a host of church membership cards. The fundamentalist reading “The Sword of the Lord” yesterday is now listening to lectures on iconography from his new favorite Eastern Orthodox podcast. They are about to take their spouses and families through emotional roller coasters because the latest thing to shine on X is calling them; the new movement is drawing them from yonder.

While I would love to see a worldwide Reformed revival, I am firstly committed to a worldwide ecclesiastical revival. I want to see men who love their wives and children at home, their congregations in service, their shepherds in submission, and their worship in faithfulness and joy.

The CREC is experiencing an enormous boost in attendance and interest; many come from standard independent and evangelical backgrounds. If they leave their flocks for legitimate reasons, my immediate encouragement when they arrive in our pews is to avoid making radical decisions in the first year. Sit. Learn. Ask. Read.

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On May 18, 2024 By Uri Brito In Culture 1

The Case for Harrison Butker

Graduation speeches have changed dramatically over the years. At one time, the conclusion of academic training offered students the opportunity to give orations in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, as well as participate in formal academic debates on philosophical questions. Professors would offer lectures on topics for which they were known, whether in philosophy, theology, or the sciences.

On the other hand, the tone of modern-day graduation speeches combines Chinese proverbs with sentimental broth borrowed from last year’s soup kitchen. If it’s an Ivy League school, they may afford some renowned politician or athlete to address the school. Think of Jerry Seinfield’s speech at Duke. His general theme of “don’t take yourself too seriously” was a subtle but rich way of addressing campus riots. I actually thought it was quite sobering.

But the environments at high school and college graduations are deteriorating faster than Biden’s dog, Commander, whose cognitive skills are like his masters’. A quick search of this year’s graduation speeches will reveal fights among students, dirty dancing on stage, the wardrobes of homeless populations in San Francisco, an NFL player chugging down a can of cheap beer, and students exiting the speech with Palestinian flags. It is safe to say that graduations reflect the institution.

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On May 16, 2024 By Bill Smith In Church, Discipleship, History, Theology 2

Pentecostal Temple

When the construction of the Tabernacle was complete, God declared his approval by covering and filling it with his glory (Ex 40:34). Moses couldn’t enter the tent because of the glory cloud (Ex 40:35).

When the construction of Solomon’s Temple was complete, after Solomon prayed his prayer of dedication, fire came from heaven, lit the bronze altar, consumed the offerings, and the glory of Yahweh filled the temple (2Chr 7:1). The priests were unable to enter the house because the glory of Yahweh filled the house (2Chr 7:2).

When the construction of the post-exilic or restoration Temple was complete, there is no record of a historical event like the glory of God filling the Tabernacle or Solomon’s Temple. God promised that he would “fill this house with glory” so that “the latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former” (Hag 2:7, 9). God’s glory fills the post-exilic Temple of Ezekiel’s vision (Ezek 43:1-12), but no record exists of a priest or king praying and fire and cloud filling the Temple … until Pentecost.

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On May 15, 2024 By Rick Davis In Podcast 2

KC Podcast: Episode 134 – Am I a Christian?

On May 9, 2024 By Rick Davis In Podcast Like

KC Podcast: Episode 133 – Boniface Fellowship

On May 9, 2024 By Uri Brito In Culture Like

What Do Christians Celebrate on Ascension Day?

The Church celebrates the Ascension of our Lord today. Since most churches do not have Thursday services, many traditionally celebrate Ascension on Sunday.

But today, the Ascension of Jesus is barely mentioned in the evangelical vocabulary. We make room for his birth, death, and resurrection, but we tend to put a period where God puts a comma.

Theologically, however, If the resurrection was the beginning of Jesus’ enthronement, then the ascension is the establishment of his enthronement. The Ascension activates Christ’s victory in history. The Great Commission is only relevant because of the Ascension. Without the Ascension, the call to baptize and disciple the nations would be meaningless. The Great Commission is rooted in Jesus’ enthronement at the right hand of the Father. Christ has all authority in heaven and earth, and image-bearers imitate our Lord’s reign by de-throning rulers through the power and authority of our Great Ruler, Jesus Christ.

The Ascension is a festive day because it vindicates the Church’s triumph over the world and defines us as a people of glory and power, not weakness and shame.

As Jesus ascended, we too entered into his ascension glory (Col. 3:1). This glory leads us to full joy. As Alexander Schmemann once wrote:

“The Church was victorious over the world through joy…and she will lose the world when she loses its joy… Of all accusations against Christians, the most terrible one was uttered by Nietzsche when he said that Christians had no joy.”

A joyless Christian faith is a faith that has not ascended. Where Christ is, we are. And we know that Jesus is at the right hand of the Father. He is ruling and reigning from his heavenly throne. The Father has given him the kingdom (Psalm 2), and now he is preserving, progressing, and perfecting his kingdom. He is bringing all things under subjection (I Cor. 15:24-26).

Jesus died a bodily death, was raised bodily, and ever reigns bodily at the Father’s right hand. As one author observed:

“Jesus has gone before us in a way we may follow through the Holy Spirit whom he has sent, because the way is in his flesh, in his humanity.”

When the Church worships her Lord, we are worshipping the God/Man, One who descended in human flesh and ascended in human flesh. He is not a disembodied spirit. He is truly God and truly man.

As we consider and celebrate the Ascension of our blessed Lord, remember that you are worshiping the One who understands your needs because he has a body just like you, and he rejoices with you now because he has a body just like you